Dewey Decimal System
Organizing reference books is difficult without a system. Some people might prefer that books always be organized by authors, but that is not practical when you are organizing reference books.
Instead, organizing a reference book collection in another way is necessary. Enter the Dewey Decimal system. This system of organizing reference books by subject matter has helped increase research efficiency, while also helping libraries around the world have one consistent system.
This way, you can find what you need, no matter what library you might use.
The Dewey Decimal system arranges reference books into these categories:
- 000 General Knowledge. This reference section includes things about general topics, like computers or technology, as well as reference books like almanacs and encyclopedias. You can also find newspapers in this section, in addition to books on museums or the Internet.
- 100 Psychology and Philosophy. In this section, you will find books on psychology and philosophy, including books on ghosts and the supernatural, as well as optical illusions, emotions, values, and animal laws.
- 200 Religions and Mythology. When you use the 200 section of the Dewey Decimal system, you will find books on the ancient cultures of the world, including books like the Bible, both New and Old Testament, as well as books on mythology and world religions.
- 300 Social Sciences and Folklore. In the social sciences section, you will find books on social issues, government, careers, court systems, legal trials, military equipment, drugs, environmental issues, education, phonics, transportation, holidays, and scary stories.
- 400 Languages and Grammar. If you are looking for books on sign language or hieroglyphics, or you are trying to find a dictionary, a book about grammar, or a thesaurus, this is the proper section.
- 500 Math and Science. You will find books on science experimentation, math, astronomy, physical science, chemistry, volcanoes, weather, dinosaurs, forests, oceans, evolution, plants, animals, and insects here.
- 600 Medicine and Technology. Some call this the Applied Science section, and it includes inventions, human body, space ships, vehicles, pets, cookbooks, home improvement, careers, paper-making, woodworking, building, and more.
- 700 Arts and Recreation. Art, history of art, architecture, paper arts, drawing crafts, knitting, sewing, print making, photography, music, sports, magic tricks, etc.
- 800 Literature. Poetry, plays, jokes, and Shakespeare are all in this section.
- 900 Geography and History. American history, explorers, atlases, flags, ancient civilizations, Middle Ages, World Wars, European countries, African countries, North and Central American countries, Native Americans, South American countries, and Pacific Islands and Australia.
While the computer system at your local library can help you find the books you need, you might also want to memorize what each of the Dewey Decimal categories include.
This allows you to go directly to the section you need and look up and down the aisles until you find the reference book that best suits your needs, or simply look at the category to see what other books might help answer your question.
Benefits of the Dewey Decimal System
Though the Dewey Decimal system has become commonplace for most users of the library, it is something that allows you to find the larger category of your research topic.Other benefits of this system include the following:
- broad categories. The Dewey Decimal system has 10 different categories that help give users a starting point from which to begin their search.
- narrow categories. Within the broader categories are smaller categories that will help you find the topics you need in order to complete the project you have to complete.
- ability to find more reference books. When you walk into a library that uses the Dewey Decimal system, you will be able to see what the book shelves have in terms of the books you want, and then you can look in the same section to find related books more easily.
- consistent system. The system is consistent and allows you to become more proficient at using the library with every visit.
- efficient research. When you are ready to research just one topic, you can go to one place instead of moving all over the library as you might have to do if you were using a system that was just assigned by the author's last name.
The benefits of the Dewey Decimal system make it obvious why many libraries continue to use the system.
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